Labor Leaders Fear Elon Musk and DOGE Could Gain Access to Whistleblower Files

In the memo, the AFL-CIO highlights immoderate 2 twelve accidents and alleged information issues reported astatine Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company since 2016 arsenic the ground for its concern, immoderate of which were the taxable of caller OSHA investigations. In 1 incidental reported to OSHA past year, a licensed electrician named Victor Joe Gomez Sr. was electrocuted and killed aft being instructed to inspect electrical panels astatine Tesla’s Gigafactory successful Austin, Texas, that OSHA determined had not been decently disconnected beforehand (the lawsuit remains open, arsenic Tesla is actively disputing it.)

Two abstracted OSHA citations astatine different Tesla factories progressive fingertip amputations. At a SpaceX installation successful 2022, an worker “suffered a skull fracture and caput trauma and was hospitalized successful a coma for months,” according to the last OSHA mishap report, aft experiencing what the bureau described arsenic a method occupation with a recently automated portion of machinery. SpaceX did not contention its OSHA citation and $18,475 fine.

Liz Shuler, the president of AFL-CIO, claims that a fig of Tesla workers person repeatedly alleged to the federation that information isn’t prioritized astatine the car company. The AFL-CIO works with the United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), but it does not correspond employees astatine Tesla oregon SpaceX.

“There are intelligibly immoderate superior information hazards successful their facilities,” Debbie Berkowitz, erstwhile main of unit and a elder advisor astatine OSHA nether Obama, alleges, referring to Tesla.

After OSHA issues a citation, employers person the close to situation it, and Tesla does this often, according to the agency’s nationalist database. Of the 46 Tesla cases successful which OSHA issued citations implicit the past 5 years, the memo cites twenty-seven that stay unfastened due to the fact that the car institution is actively disputing them with the agency. Two SpaceX cases and 1 Boring Company lawsuit stay unfastened for the aforesaid reason. The cases can’t beryllium closed until some OSHA and the companies hold connected the presumption of the citation, which whitethorn see associated fines and circumstantial changes the institution has to marque to amended idiosyncratic safety.

David Michaels, the adjunct caput of labour for OSHA nether Obama, tells WIRED that, successful general, large companies typically don’t person a fiscal inducement to situation OSHA citations, since they usually are accompanied by fines costing lone a fewer 1000 dollars. However, a institution isn’t required to code the circumstantial hazard that led to an mishap until aft a lawsuit is closed. In bid to debar addressing these alleged problems, Michaels says that generally, immoderate companies whitethorn beryllium motivated to support cases open.

“Some employers determine they don't privation to abate the hazard, they don't hold with the citation, and they volition walk many, galore thousands of dollars warring the case, and it'll outgo them acold much than simply paying a tiny good and abating the hazard,” Michaels says.

There is presently nary grounds that Musk has entree to immoderate confidential databases astatine the Department of Labor that whitethorn incorporate idiosyncratic accusation astir whistleblowers. But erstwhile OSHA administrators accidental the bureau does location records that would anonymize whistleblowers, arsenic good arsenic employees who participated successful anonymous interviews with bureau investigators.